FC Cincinnati Beat: Orange and Blue gashed 4-0 in Game 2 at Columbus, sets up winner-take-all Game 3

COLUMBUS, Ohio — FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew both entered Sunday night with something to play for. For Cincinnati, it was an opportunity to clinch the best-of-three first round series and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the third time in four seasons. Columbus, trailing 1-0 in the series, was playing to keep its season alive on its home field.

One team played like they understood the assignment. The other, through no fault of their own, looked overwhelmed by the atmosphere and it never felt like they were really in the game.

Backed by a raucous crowd at Lower.com Field, the Crew scored two goals in nine minutes late in the first half for a 2-0 lead going into halftime. The two goals were an indicator of how the game was going and would continue to unfold. Columbus scored two goals in a five-minute span midway through the second half to extend its lead to 4-0. That would hold up as the final score.

“That was a tough night that we quickly want to forget about,” FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. “No time to put our heads down. We get to go again on Saturday.”

The 4-0 final score is not the full indicator of how much Columbus dominated the match Sunday night. It was a complete performance both offensively and defensively for the Crew. They out-shot FC Cincinnati 19-1 and 9-0 in shots on gaol. In addition, the Crew also led FC Cincinnati 623-339 in total passes.

It didn’t help that Cincinnati received three yellow cards and a red card. That red card was given to midfielder Yuya Kubo in the 38th minute for a foul in the box, leading to a Crew penalty kick that midfielder Dylan Chambost converted for a 2-0 lead that felt much larger than that.

FC Cincinnati did hold serve through the first 30+ minutes, but as soon as Columbus took the lead it felt greater than just a one-goal match. That margin only increased throughout the night, evening the best-of-three first-round series at 1-1.

Game 3 is Saturday night at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. The start time for the match has yet to be determined. A berth in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

“Our focus will be on us,” Noonan said. “And being ready to step on the field and have a much better performance.”